I am an African American female age 52. I have very long sister locks and they are beautiful. trouble is, I had a hysterectomy last summer and noticed that my hair is balding on the sides. I went to a dermatologist who said it was my locks pulling, but I clearly had to get him straight and tell him that I never had braids in that spot, only a hair line that never was long enough to incorporate into the dreads. I am a professional person and am always in the public eye. I am now wearing scarves to cover the sides. I would like to know what I can do. I did notice that before I had surgery, my scalp was itching badly on the sides and the hair at the follicle became crusty at the base, as if it was dead. Any help would be appreciated

You should be seen by an expert. With a good history like yours, I would worry about a series of localized skin conditions that should be ruled out by a good dermatologist. As you are convinced (and have convinced me) that this is not traction alopecia, then a transplant might be a good solution provided that your dermatologist has determined that there are no skin conditions that would kill off the transplants. Transplants are undetectable in most African American hair types.

2 Responses to “African American Female, Age 52”

I am a 52 year old African American female. I have been suffering with a spot in the middle of my head for several years now. Hair brakes off down to the scape. I have a very bad itch in that spot. It goes and comes. The hair grows back to a certian length and will eventually break again. I went to a causian dermatologist and he said it was alopicia. He said I must stop all chemical treatments to my hair. I was told by my stylist to go to an African American doctor to get a second opinion, Unfortunatly, where I live their isn’t one availble. My question to you is should I keep looking for a dermologist, accept that it is alopeica and let go of the chemicals or just live with it? One other thing, it is not balding just short hair in that area.

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This site is intended to educate the public on hair loss topics based on personal experience and opinions from Dr. William Rassman and contributing physician editors. Information provided on BaldingBlog.com should not be used for the purpose of medical diagnosis or treatment.